Liquid feed device



N. H. v. NORLIN LIQUID FEED DEVICE Oct. 11, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 28, 1958 34 AIM n S m Oct. 11, 1960 N. H. v. NQR N 2,955,532

LIQUID FEED DEVICE Filed Nov. 28, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ugm I IQQ United States Patent L IQUFD DEVICE Nils H. V. Norlin, Halsingborg, Sweden, assignor to Carl Allers Etablissement A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark Filed Nov. 28, 195s,ser No. 776,939 9 Claims. c1. 101-350 This invention relates to liquid feed devices of the type employing a trough (or 'fountain as it is sometimes termed) for holding asupply of the liquid and a roller which has part of its peripheral surface immersed in the liquid so that as the roller (usually termed the fou'ntain roller) rotates, its peripheral surface emerges from the liquid with liquid on it: such a mechanism is commonly used for the supply of ink (which constitutes the liquid) to an ink distribution roller system usually via a lifter or transfer roller which contacts first the fountain roller and then (leaving the fountain roller) a roller ofthe dis tribution.

In most cases the fouh'tain roller is turned intermittently through a small angle which is related to the ink supply requirements in any particular case. Such an arrangement has been in use for very many years and has operated more or less satisfactorily: the thickness of the liquid layer on the roller is usually regulated by a blade or doctor under which the periphery of the roller moves as it advances.

It has been found that matter such as fluff, dust and other impurities are apt to be picked-up by or contained in the liquid on the roller and that such matter is prone to become lodged under the operative part of the blade (i.e. in the wedge-shapedgg'ap between the lower face of the doctor near its tip and the surface of the foller) and as the operation proceeds the matter builds up and inc're'asin'gl'y lifts the tip of the blade away from the roller. in the result therefor-e the regulating action or the blade at which it is 'set beco r'nes ihc'reasingly disturbed so that the fine control which is necessary foi proper regulation -'of feed of liquid is lost: it therefore becomes necessary to interrupt the operation fr'bfii time t'o-time to enable the accumulated matter to be removed and this is a serious matter in. modern machines constructed to give high speed production of products such as printed products when the liquid is the printers ink whieh is used in printing machines.

Now according to one feature of the present iiiventioh, that defect is overcome broadly stated by moving the fountain roller backwards from time-to-time i the amh'uht of such backward movement need be only mall compared with the intermittent forward advancing "movement of the roller. It has been found that such backward movement serves the purpose of removing matter from the wedge-shaped gap referi-ed' to or operates to prevent the matter from building 'up into a mass which is sufficiently solid to lift the operative edge of the blade: by means of the invention therefore it has been found no longer necessary'to discontinue the operation of the machine for the purpose of removing the accumulated matter as was formerly necessary. I

In general it would bevpreferablet'o move the roller backwardly at the .end .of each advance movement so that theaotion obtained as .a result'of this invention is frequently applied.

These fountain rollers are usually moved intermittently Eice A further feature of this invention is to provide an improved mechanism which, while being especially useful in its application to a roller moved backwards as well as forwards according to the first feature of this invention, can also be applied with advantage to operating the fountain roller in only one direction in accordance with the normal practice. Thus according to this further feature of the invention, mechanism for moving a fountain roller intermittently comprises a rotatable driving member having a component which, as it moves in rotation with the member, moves into and then out of driving engagement with a driven member on a component rotatable about an axis parallel with but offset from the axis of rotation of the driving'member: during the period of driving engagement between the two components, the driving member moves the driven member through a part of one rotation, the driving member then leaving the driven member which remains at rest until a succeeding engagement at which time the operation is repeated either by the same members or by others similarly disposed on the driving and driven components.

This feature of the invention can be carried into practical effect in a number of different ways: for example a fountain roller could be fast with a driven disc having a number of slots opening at the periphery of the disc: these slots are arranged to receive (in succession) a pin (or roller) on a constantly rotating driving disc so that as the disc rotates the pin enters one of the slots, and moves the driven disc until the pin passes out of that slot by which time another slot is positioned to receive the pin later in the next rotation of the driving disc.

Where the second feature of the invention is to be applied "to the backwardly moving roller the slots in the driven disc could be so shaped that as the pin moves into each slot it moves the driven disc (and hence the roller) in the forward advance direction through a certain angle and then as the pin moves out of the slot it moves the driven disc in the reverse direction through a smaller ah'gle.

As is usual provision could be made for varying the rate of operation of the roller advance (and by this inventi'oh the roller reverse) operation depending on the requirements in any particular case. a The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings as applied tb a fountain ink-feeding mechanism for a printing machine, the mechanism incorporating both features of the inventioh as well as a vibrator roller according to the invention described and claimed in the by some form of oscillating pawl and ratchet mechanism.

pending application I of Class B. Aller, Serial No.

769,489, filed October 24, 1958. In the drawing Figure 1 is an end elevation" of pan or an ink feed and distributihg mechanism and Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation of that mechanism at one end.

In the drawings, the reference 1 indicates the wall of the familiar ink fountain in which is mounted a fountain roller 2 the periphery of which is immersed in ink iii the fountain: the surface of the roller emerges from the fountain past a doctor blade 3 which can be set by screws 4 disposed along the length of the blade to regulate the thickness of the ink coating on the surface of the roller.

Ink is lifted from the fountain roller 2 by a vibrator fountain roller 2 backwardly by a small amount.

with the roller 5 which is continuously rotated at a comparatively high speed.

Now, in accordance with one feature of the invention, the fountain roller 2, while still being moved intermittently is moved not only in one direction, but is moved also through a smaller extent in the reverse direction either at the end of each advancing movement (in the direction of the arrow) or at the end of certain of those advancing movements.

It has been found that in this way the tendency for paper fluff and other matter to build up gradually in the apex between the roller 2 and the regulating edge of the blade 3 is avoided: the reversing action clears away any accumulating matter and so prevents the matter from building up to the extent that it forces the edge of the blade 3 gradually away from the surface of the roller 2 and so destroys its regulating action to the degree that eventually the machine has to be stopped to enable the accumulation of matter to be removed.

Various arrangements can be used to effect this reverse movement: in the particular case shown, that means incorporates the second feature of the invention: this consists in securing to the shaft 7 of the fountain roller 2 a driven disc 8 having a number of slots 9 each to receive a roller 10, or, as shown, one of a number of rollers 10 which are carried by a driving disc 11: this driving disc is secured to a continuously rotating stub shaft 12 parallel with but offset from the shaft 7. Thus as the driving disc 11 rotates one or other rollers 10 enters one of the slots 9. As the roller continues to move along the slot it turns the disc 8 and hence the fountain roller 2 until the roller moves out of the slot by which time it has moved the roller 2 through a part of a revolution in the direction of the arrow A to achieve the required intermittent movement.

Now for the purpose of imparting to the fountain roller 2 a small reverse movement the slots 9 are given a special shape and the axis of rotation of the driving disc 11 and of the driven disc 8 are set so that the axis of the shaft 12 is slightly within the unslotted periphery of the disc 8: in addition the entry side 13 of each slot 9 is curved at 14 while the other edge exit side 15 is radial to the disc.

Thus as each roller 10 approaches a. slot 9, it moves without shock by reason of the curved entry 13 into the slot, and runs over the walls of the slot until it is about to leave the slot whereupon it rolls over the radial exit edge 15 and in so doing, moves the disc 8 and hence the Obviously the amount of backward movement will, with the slot formation shown, depend upon the amount by which the axis of the shaft 12 lies within the periphery of the disc 11: this can be adjustable as by varying the distance between the axes of the shafts 7 and 12 for which purpose one or both of the shafts can be mounted in eccentric bearings.

When the intermittent drive described is to be used for driving the fountain roller in the usual manner, i.e. without producrng a reverse movement, the form of slot described would not be necessary nor would the same disposition of the axes of rotation.

The vibrator roller 5 can be that normally used: it is, however, preferred as shown to use that forming the subject of the aforementioned pending application Serial No. 769,480 in which case the roller is formed by a number of sections 16 which are carried by eccentrics 17 on a shaft 18 which is continuously driven: in this way the sections are moved transversely out of phase with one another to contact first the fountain roller 2 and then (leaving that roller) the distribution roller 6.

Drive to the disc 11, and also to the shaft 18 can be elfected from an electric motor 19 the output spindle 20 of which is coupled to a shaft 21 which has a gear 22 in mesh with teeth 23 on the disc 11 and which is coupled via a pin 24 to the shaft 18.

I claim:

1. A liquid feed arrangement comprising a feed roller, a source of liquid, means to turn the roller forwardly intermittently to present its peripheral surface step-bystep to the source of liquid, a doctor blade cooperating with the surface of the roller as it passes from the said source so as to regulate the charge of liquid on the surface, and means to turn the roller backwardly, intermittently, to prevent matter from building up between the doctor blade and the surface of the roller.

2. A liquid feed arrangement as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the means for turning the roller backwardly are constructed to effect a movement which is small compared with the forward movement.

3. A liquid feed arrangement as claimed in claim 2 and wherein the means to turn the roller backwardly are constructed to operate at the end of each forward movement.

4. A liquid feed arrangement as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the means to turn the feed roller forwardly and backwardly comprises a continuously rotated driving component, a slotted driven component which is rotatable about an axis parallel with, but displaced from, the axis of the driving component and which is coupled to the feed roller, the driving component having a driving projection so offset from the axis that as the driving component rotates, the projection enters, moves through, and leaves the slot in the driven component, and the walls of the slot being so disposed that the movement of the pin in the slot moves the driven component forwardly and backwardly.

5. A liquid feed arrangement as claimed in claim 4 and further characterized in this, that the driving and driven components respectively have a number of projections and slots so arranged as to come into cooperation in succession as the driving component rotates.

6. A liquid feed arrangement comprising a feed roller, a source of liquid supply and means to turn the roller intermittently in one direction to present the surface of the roller step-by-step to the source of supply, and wherein the said turning means comprises a continuously rotated driving component having a driving projection and a driven component coupled to said feed roller and being rotatable about an axis parallel with, but displaced from, the axis of the driving component and being formed with a driven surface, so that the projection moves into, along and then leaves said driven surface.

7. A liquid feed arrangement as claimed in claim 6 and wherein the driven component has a number of equiangularly spaced driven surfaces and the driving component has a number of equi-angularly spaced driving projections to cooperate in succession with said driven surfaces on the driven component.

8. A liquid feed arrangement as claimed in claim 6 and further characterized by the provision of means to vary the distance between the axes of the driving and driven components to vary the extent of intermittent turning movement imparted to the driven component.

9. A liquid feed arrangement as claimed in claim 6 and further characterized in this, that the feed roller constitutes the fountain roller of an inking mechanism for a printing machine, a vibrator roller being also provided to engage alternately the surface of the fountain roller and the surface of a roller of a roller distribution system.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 123,651 Thorp Feb. 13, 1872 130,176 Allen Aug. 6, 1872 1,900,266 Wood Mar. 7, 1933 2,157,587 Behrens May 9, 1939 

